Why/how label yourself as a "local" sorority

xikappaphi · #1 10-05-2009, 06:05 PM

I've been looking around this website for a few weeks now but haven't posted anything -- mainly just looked around to help guide me/find out more information on starting a sorority, or local, or just an organization of women.

15 women (including myself) have recently started getting together weekly (or bi-weekly) at my house to have meetings. We all share common goals, beliefs, and viewpoints on what we want to do/accomplish through our club. Right now we are not known at all at our 4-year university because we have yet to tell anyone we really exist.

So I guess the main question I have is: How would we begin to label ourselves as a sorority or a local sorority? We have established a name that we call ourselves and are planning on using Greek letters to represent ourselves. Are there liability issues involved in doing this? I've done a lot of research to make sure that our name is not taken and that we would not be violating copyright infringement (or stealing another sorority's name) If we were to apply to be a "student organization", I am pretty sure we would be able to receive money from our school just as any other club.

There is no doubt in our minds that we are sisters, and we want to do things for our community and on campus as well. We just want to know what would make us different from the other 5 NPC sororities on our campus and would it be worth trying to become a local?

Sorry if this seemed really scatterbrained but I hope it made some sort of sense. Thanks for whatever help input you guys have for us.

KSUViolet06 · #2 10-05-2009, 06:14 PM

First, only you can determine whether something would be worth it or not.

I find that this thread is a good starting point for those looking to start a new sorority:

http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums/sh...ad.php?t=93174

xikappaphi · #3 10-05-2009, 06:21 PM

sorry, I worded it wrong. I didn't mean to say "will it be worth".. I meant it like, what would be the difference in being a club rather than a local?

But thanks, that thread is pretty helpful!

knight_shadow · #4 10-05-2009, 06:28 PM

Your sorority is local if you exist at one school and operate without a national governing body.

The link that KSUViolet provided has some great information about getting the process started.

Out of curiousity, what is wrong with your campus' existing sororities? Did you ladies participate in recruitment? Are there any other national organizations that match your ideals?

xikappaphi · #5 10-06-2009, 11:30 AM

Nothing is wrong the the sororites on campus, they are all really great ladies and have great ideals and morals and who do great things through philanthropy. But, one of the main things about our group of ladies is that we are all taking out loans for school and can't afford to pay to go through recruitment/pay dues/buy shirts/things for bigs/littles....we want to create a sorority that focuses more on sisterhood rather than socials/paraphonalia.

My sister is in a sorority and has had to pay thousands for her sorority, and I just can't afford that.

But thank for for clarifying what a local exactly is -- would we still need to consider liability though if we decide to wear letters?

kddani · #6 10-06-2009, 12:34 PM

FYI, starting and running an organization costs money.

Don't understand your question re: considering liability if you wear letters. Liability insurance is a huge cost, but it is also a necessary cost for organizations. Otherwise, your behinds are personally on the line and responsible for all costs should something happen.

KSUViolet06 · #7 10-06-2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xikappaphi

Nothing is wrong the the sororites on campus, they are all really great ladies and have great ideals and morals and who do great things through philanthropy. But, one of the main things about our group of ladies is that we are all taking out loans for school and can't afford to pay to go through recruitment/pay dues/buy shirts/things for bigs/littles....we want to create a sorority that focuses more on sisterhood rather than socials/paraphonalia.

My sister is in a sorority and has had to pay thousands for her sorority, and I just can't afford that.

But thank for for clarifying what a local exactly is -- would we still need to consider liability though if we decide to wear letters?

Our sororities are not based on buying lettered items and social events.

90% of the money that members pay goes back into helping run the national organization as well as the chapter.

Letters, gifts, etc. are all things that members purchase on their own as extras.

Running/founding a sorority costs some money. I am usnure how you could effectively run an organization without requiring at least SOME financial contribution (dues) from members.

Example: Liability insurance is definitely not free.

xikappaphi · #8 10-06-2009, 02:54 PM

Yes, you're right about that. We are going to have some sort of dues to collect, but they are going to be minimal as possible. We are also planning on having a concert or a fundraiser to help us get on our feet financially. Like I said, money is one of our main set-backs. I guess until we can get enough money we will just continue to establish ourselves as much as possible.

kddani · #9 10-06-2009, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xikappaphi

Yes, you're right about that. We are going to have some sort of dues to collect, but they are going to be minimal as possible. We are also planning on having a concert or a fundraiser to help us get on our feet financially. Like I said, money is one of our main set-backs. I guess until we can get enough money we will just continue to establish ourselves as much as possible.

Concerts and many fundraisers take some capital to get going. Sororities don't happen magically, there's a lot of time and money that go into things that you never even realize. It's not at easy as just getting some friends together and saying hey, let's start a sorority! Any sorority (or any group) that's going to last needs to invest capital in itself.

If you truly want to start a sorority, you need to do your research as to what kinds of things go into it.

33girl · #10 10-06-2009, 04:59 PM

Quite frankly, if you want to eschew some of the things that make sororities fun - socials, the occasional sweatshirt - you're going to have a hard time getting women who are interested in a sorority interested in you. And the last thing you want is to become is "the wannabe sorority for lame chicks that can't afford a real sorority."

If you are at the sort of school where no one who has loans is in a sorority, well, for better or worse, it is what it is. But I think if you delved into it more deeply you'd be VERY surprised at the financial statuses of some sorority members.

xxstardust · #11 10-06-2009, 05:15 PM

In terms of financial aid/loans - I can understand where you're coming from, in that I'm on a scholarship and loans myself. I've got over 50k in student loans as a junior and I have 2 years left! I don't get any help from my family financially, either. However, being in a sorority is a priority for me so I've been saving up from summer jobs, jobs during the year, etc. Even putting $20 a week (what would otherwise be your party money!) away adds up quicker then you'd imagine.

KSUViolet06 · #12 10-06-2009, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

If you are at the sort of school where no one who has loans is in a sorority, well, for better or worse, it is what it is. But I think if you delved into it more deeply you'd be VERY surprised at the financial statuses of some sorority members.

Yes.

At most schools, you can find sorority members who work and have student loans. I doubt that every single sorority member at your school is in such a position that they don't have loans or jobs.

Just being "sorority for girls who can't afford the higher cost organizations" is not going to be enough to gain student's interest and keep it. The cost may spark some initial interest, but there has to be more to it to get girls to commit.

OPhiAGinger · #13 10-23-2009, 06:37 PM

I think what the OP is saying is that the national sororities on her campus have a high financial commitment that is, essentially, a barrier to entry to some potential members. All she is saying is that she wants the sisterhood that a sorority offers but without that financial barrier to entry.

But you can definitely have those strong bonds of sisterhood at a lower cost. Just be aware that some of the things you can't afford (e.g., a chapter house) are things that build the most lasting and meaningful memories among the sisterhood. You'll just have to find another way to build those memories! It will be tricky and if you deliberately do without the fringe benefits that come from having a higher operating budget, you'll have to fight the perception on your campus that you are not a "real" sorority.

Best of luck.

JustLily · #14 01-07-2011, 11:59 AM

A lot of the time, local sororities are cheaper to be a member of because they do not have the national dues. Mine runs off $100 a semester per sister. if you are looking to keep costs down in the long run this is something to think about, its up to you guys to weight the costs ad benefits of going national or local. Buit initially a lot of fundraisers and investment will be needed either way

nittanygirl · #15 01-07-2011, 12:44 PM

As far as the concert goes, I planned one as a philanthropy event once for a service group and you definitely will need some money even to just get the word out there.

Options include hosting a dry concert at a fraternity (getting their permission and their available dates might be difficult, and they may want to split proceeds), having an over 21 night only at a club to raise money, and to find a club that will host a split event. Basically there need to be levels and one level be the "dry level" and one be the over 21 level. At our event we posted bouncers at the front door and at all access points to the over-21 level from the dry level. THIS IS NECESSARY. You don't want to have a risk management issue on hand immediately. Lucky for us, our club was willing to donate the night to us (a Wednesday, no club is going to give over a big night) and as long as we made over 150 covers, we didn't have to pay them. If not, we had to start paying the bouncers (that's where you're taking a huge risk, because if you don't have money in the first place, if the event tanks you still have to pay the bouncers).

Second, sound guys cost a lot of money! The one year my cochair ran the event, her sound guy was $500. That was like 85% of the budget for the event. Our year, we got lucky and one of the bands let us use their equipment. If not, we'd never have made as much.
We also did canning events downtown throughout the semester. This involves getting permission from your local municipal building. It took COUNTLESS hours of work to just set up this concert AND capital to get it going that came from dues. While the dues for this ran about $150 a semester, and were enough to keep everything going and some cushion space, the money was carefully budgeted and a necessity just to host events.